Press release: Extraordinary TV ads to promote new Super League season

Super League will break extraordinary ground next week with an innovative and perception-changing television advertising campaign to promote the start of the new season.Ahead of the big kick off of the 2013 season on the weekend of February 1-3, a specially-commissioned advert featuring some of Super League's biggest stars will be transmitted in the Granada and Yorkshire Television regions.The 60-second ad is the latest phase of the 'Rugby League of the Extraordinary' campaign and will showcase the amazing exploits and talents of Super League players to millions of viewers.These include a bumper audience on the weekend of January 26 and 27 when the ad will be screened during the live FA Cup football matches on ITV.The first time the new ad will be seen is during ITV's live coverage of the Stoke City v Manchester City tie on Saturday January 26 (kick-off 12.45pm) and then again on Sunday January 27 during live coverage of Oldham v Liverpool (kick -off 4.00pm).The ad will also be broadcast during the FA Cup highlights programme on the evening of Saturday January 26. Other spots will be spread through the week up to Friday February 1.Matt Lowery, the Super League marketing consultant who has engineered 'Rugby League of the Extraordinary', said: "The TV advertising campaign will expose the stars of Super League to a whole new audience."It's easy for some fans to take what they see on the pitch in a Super League match for granted: the ad is designed to convey the message that this really is a sport played by extraordinary athletes who are extraordinarily skilful, with great speed and energy."Rugby League is a fast-paced, physical game that is hard to rival anywhere in sport."The ad builds on the breakthroughs we experienced with the viral video which was a great internet success last autumn and I am sure it will be well received by all who see it.Almost a quarter of a million people downloaded the video on youtube and Lowery is anticipating another positive response.He added: "Those who watched the viral had a huge appetite for it and how it conveyed the sport. There was a strong desire for it to be shown to a much a bigger and wider audience."In the build up to the Super League 2013 season we now have that opportunity and hope to reach three million adults on several occasions."The advertisement features a range of Super League players, including England stars Tom Briscoe (Hull FC), Eorl Crabtree (Huddersfield Giants), James Roby (St Helens) and Sam Tomkins (Wigan Warriors).The aim of the campaign is to take the excitement of Rugby League to a wider audience.Research conducted following the 'Rugby League of the Extraordinary' online and poster campaign around last season's Super League Grand Final has indicated it was successful in changing the perception of non-Rugby League fans and increasing their likelihood to attend matches in the future.

This is good news Dave T but it would be infinitely better if - in World Cup year, with large stadiums in London and Cardiff to fill (not to mention letting the Greater London public know about the existence of London Broncos) - the advert were to be televised in more than 2 regions.

I'm disappointed that the RFL appears not to have the funds to do this. Maybe forthcoming sponsorship money will help them to advertise to the whole country once the season is in progress?

Sounds good, but why not more areas, surely the north east is a RL hotbed these days ? How about sth wales, as for the benefits of London - assume this comes down to money, still better than nothing though ! Need to get th SL show shown more widely also this year, should be Parton beebs contract

This is good news Dave T but it would be infinitely better if - in World Cup year, with large stadiums in London and Cardiff to fill (not to mention letting the Greater London public know about the existence of London Broncos) - the advert were to be televised in more than 2 regions.

I'm disappointed that the RFL appears not to have the funds to do this. Maybe forthcoming sponsorship money will help them to advertise to the whole country once the season is in progress?

Yep - would agree that it is disappointing, it's hard to justify us being a national game and demanding national BBC coverage, national sponsors, newspaper coverage, if when it comes down to it we acknowledge that we are a northern game through things like this. It sends out a very dangerous message.

Same old problem with rugby league: great idea, poorly executed. To show this ad only in Lancashire and Yorkshire is a waste of money. Advertising is supposed to be used to spread the news not preach to the converted. Yet another missed opportunity, especially if the ad is the same one as we saw before Christmas or something similar (ie excellent).

Yep - would agree that it is disappointing, it's hard to justify us being a national game and demanding national BBC coverage, national sponsors, newspaper coverage, if when it comes down to it we acknowledge that we are a northern game through things like this. It sends out a very dangerous message.

I am utterly ignorant of how much this kind of venture costs the RFL - and of how much more it would cost them if the advert were to be shown to the 7-8 million? residents of Greater London... but, after all these years, when push comes to shove (to quote a phrase) investing in the health and prosperity of the professional game in London is something to which the RFL is simply not committed.

The game, at all levels, and in so many different ways, lacks the courage of its convictions. And that's a shame.

I hope that a representative of what remains of the rugby league press - politely and respectfully - finds himself/herself in a position to question the RFL on their strategy.

Same old problem with rugby league: great idea, poorly executed. To show this ad only in Lancashire and Yorkshire is a waste of money. Advertising is supposed to be used to spread the news not preach to the converted. Yet another missed opportunity, especially if the ad is the same one as we saw before Christmas or something similar (ie excellent).

To be fair to them, there are millions of people who will be exposed to this advert who won't be involved with RL.

One of my issues with the RL marketing in recent years is that it has specifically targeted Rugby League existing customers through club websites, trade press etc. - at least this is a step forward away from that and into a more mainstream channel.

If you add the cost of advertising and Yorkshire and Granada together and then double that figure then that's how much a slot in London region costs in comparison.

Looking at the itv site, it would suggest that Granada is a very expensive region, at least based on the minimum package cost.

I wonder whether national advertising could have been done more reasonably through some of the smaller satellite channels. It always surprises me that when we (Rugby League) has gone with TV ads, we have pretty much always gone in clumsily in between Coronation Street and similar.

Looking at the itv site, it would suggest that Granada is a very expensive region, at least based on the minimum package cost.

I wonder whether national advertising could have been done more reasonably through some of the smaller satellite channels. It always surprises me that when we (Rugby League) has gone with TV ads, we have pretty much always gone in clumsily in between Coronation Street and similar.

Targetting local sports fans watching the FA Cup seems like rather a good idea to me.

If it's too expensive for the RFL to extend these adverts to include London then perhaps they should divide the cost of this between the 12 teams who will benefit and then give a comparable sum to both the London Broncos and Catalans Dragons to spend on advertising locally?

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."
Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

If it's too expensive for the RFL to extend these adverts to include London then perhaps they should divide the cost of this between the 12 teams who will benefit and then give a comparable sum to both the London Broncos and Catalans Dragons to spend on advertising locally?

I did think that, it's a shame that London miss out on any benefits here. Maybe at least some other local advertising to assist them.

If you add the cost of advertising and Yorkshire and Granada together and then double that figure then that's how much a slot in London region costs in comparison.

If it's all about money, then fair enough. If this is all they have, then so be it.

I just don't believe that it is remotely good enough for "all but one" of the Super League clubs to be covered by this advert - especially as many have argued that it is precisely this one club that might hold the key to unlocking further sponsorship/media riches for the game.

Either London Broncos are part of the game's future, or they are not. This advert suggests they're not even part of the present.

But as a guide a 30 second advertising slot during Corrie costs;Yorkshire - £4400Granada - £5470London - £11490

Slots vary massively in cost of the course of a day for example on Granada at 11am you get a 30 second slot for £620, presumably one man and his dog watches in border at this time as that's only 50 quid! To go nationwide costs between £6,200 for the 11am slots up to £60,390 for the 9.30pm slot, which soon adds up if you air a few times!

Of course on top of that you've got production costs, any other fees and negotiations around the +1 channel to take into consideration.

Great initiative, can see the sense of just going Granada and Yorkshire for reasons already stated by others.